A $3,000 refrigerator failed twice in five years, sparking extreme frustration from the buyer in a Reddit thread. The LG owner said their InstaView fridge effectively became "a $720 refrigerator" after two compressor failures.
Here's what to know
The original poster said they saved up for the fridge and wanted "the best of the best." The first compressor failure came in the second year and was repaired, but the same part went out again in year five. When the owner reached out to LG, the company wanted $400 for the service visit and then later said no repair person was available in the area.
The poster said the refrigerator still looked brand new, which made the result especially upsetting. They wrote that after repeatedly calling LG, the company offered them $720 — $420 for the compressor and $300 for lost food.
"Sounds like you may be in the era of the LG linear compressor. Affected a lot of customers and without good resolution," one commenter wrote.
Another said, "Tell Consumer Reports to stop recommending LG as the most reliable."
More background
"I work hard every day, and my one nice purchase will end up in the dump!" the OP said.
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Other users echoed the frustration. "LG's customer service is beyond garbage," one wrote, while another said, "I'll never buy any Samsung or LG appliance."
One person noted the problem may be tied to an old design, writing, "They have new old-style rotary compressors in most new models now."
Some commenters argued that other models may be the safe choice. "Repairmen or women don't like to work on those types of fridges," one wrote. "You should have got something like a simple Whirlpool fridge."
Another person offered a blunt strategy that may sound familiar to frustrated consumers: "I operate on the assumption that most anything made now is trash and have adopted my purchasing strategy downward toward less expensive, lower-cost models of everything so I'm not out a lot of money when they fail."
Where can I learn more?
Similar frustrations come up commonly with household appliances.
• LG faced a nationwide compressor lawsuit as owners alleged costly refrigerator failures and losses.
• Appliance experts warned that common fridge mistakes can shorten lifespan and raise costs.
• Whirlpool was hit with an irreparable parts lawsuit over alleged wiring failures.
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